Wednesday,
March 9, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Ja'Quaye James scored 15 points and added 5 assists and 3 steals for Teaneck, which won its fifth North 1, Group 3 state sectional title in the last six years with a 67-47 win at top-seeded Ramapo. |
FRANKLIN LAKES – The crowd was getting louder and host Ramapo was closing in in the fourth quarter of a North 1, Group 3 championship game. That kind of pressure can be enough to make a player crack especially a sophomore. But when that sophomore is Teaneck's Ja'Quaye James, it is a welcome challenge, the kind he lives for. After falling two wins short of a Bergen County Jamboree title, James refused to let the Highwaymen's season come to close without a championship ending. Dribbling the ball near mid-court, he knew it was time to make a play.
James broke a defender's ankles, glared at that defender as he wobbled and then calmly nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with. That proved to be the backbreaker as second-seeded Teaneck pulled away from there to win the North 1, Group 3 title, 67-47, over top-seeded Ramapo on Tuesday night in Franklin Lakes. After falling to Bergenfield in the final last year, took its title back as it won its fifth crown in the last six years.
“It feels good to close out a game the way we did tonight,” said Teaneck head coach Jerome Smart. “I thought Ramapo dictated the pace in the first quarter and we had to turn it up. Once the adrenaline wore off and we settled in, we knew we would be fine. I thought our defense was very good and in a lot of instances it created our offense.”
The atmosphere was electric well before tip-off as Ramapo hung tough early. Chris Gordon's rainbow 3-pointer gave the Green Raiders a 12-11 lead after one quarter.
That lead would be Ramapo's last as the Highwaymen allowed just one field goal in the second. With star forward Jawaun Daniels on the bench with two fouls and Ramapo's defense keyed on slowing down James, gaps opened for senior forward Ge’Ani Bannerman. He had six second-quarter points, including two baskets wrapped around a 3-pointer by Adrian Baucorn, as Teaneck took control with a 28-17 halftime lead.
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Ramapo's Matt Latka finshed his high school career with a game-high 20 points. |
“Losing last year was a feeling I never wanted to feel again, I knew I had to step my game up,” said Bannerman. “Ja'Quaye and Jawaun are always going to get the other team's attention. That leaves openings for other players like myself. The left side is my strong side and everyone got me the ball in places where I could get to the basket.”
Ramapo whittled the lead down to seven on a Gordon 3 from the corner with just 6 seconds to play in the third quarter. That was one tick too many, though, as James went the length of the court with his scoop layup kissing the glass and dropping through to bump the lead back up to nine, 43-34, heading into the fourth quarter.
Ramapo senior Matt Latka did everything he could to give his team a fighting chance down the stretch. He converted a 3-point play to open the scoring in the fourth quarter that trimmed the lead to six, 43-37. Ramapo's crowd got back into it and the Green Raiders were gaining momentum. In a manner of just seconds, James settled everything, the home crowd and the outcome, right back down.
His ankle-breaking crossover led to a 3-pointer from the top of the key, which pushed the lead back up to nine and took the wind out of the sails of the Green Raiders. The final minutes belonged to James, who consistently weaved his way through Ramapo's defense that has smothered opponents all season. As the final buzzer sounded and the Teaneck bench poured onto the floor, James just smiled and soaked it all in.
“I was just playing and reacting because they were guarding me so close all game,” said James. “I went by him, I made a little move and he fell. I looked at him and I saw he wasn't getting up so I took the shot and knocked it down.”
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Ge'Ani Bannerman (20 points) came up with a career-high at the right time for Teaneck, which will play Warren Hills in Thursday's Group 3 state semifinal. |
Bannerman picked a great night to have his best game of the season for Teaneck (25-4). After scoring a combined 16 points in the Highwaymen's first three state tournament games, he exploded for a career-high 20. James finished with 15 points, five assists, and three steals. The unsung hero was 6-foot-4 forward Nick Whitaker. With Daniels in foul trouble for most of the game, Whitaker stepped up and was a presence in the paint on both ends with 12 points, five rebounds, and a game-high five blocks.
Latka led all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Gordon added 11 points for Ramapo, whose season came to a close with a 25-4 mark.
Teaneck moves on to the Group 3 semifinals on Thursday where the Highwaymen will take on Warren Hills, a winner in double overtime over top-seeded Chatham, at 8:00 P.M. at East Orange Campus High School. It is a gymnasium that has provided lots of heartbreak for Teaneck over the past few years, but the Highwaymen now have the chance to turn that all around.
“I want to keep this going for our seniors,” added James. “I have two more years at this. For them though this is their last shot and I see in their eyes how bad they want a state title. We know what we're about and what we can do. I think we're starting to play our best and we're doing it at the right time.”
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